Chance Encounter
by Buick
Summary: A glimpse of one character on their path to greatness.


"Gunnm" is the property of Yukito Kishiro. 

This little fic is old and nothing spectacular, but I though I'd offer it to help increase the number of Gunnm fics at ff.net (C'mon guys, we're being eclipsed by Gundam here!). Feel free to contact me at astillar@yahoo.com

***

The woman shrieked at the sight of the oncoming rock wall as seen through the red shattered windshield. She fought with the handle to open the passenger door and jumped out, falling to the hard, dusty ground. No sooner had she stopped rolling than she heard the truck crash to a stop into the rocks. With sore limbs she picked herself and spared only a dizzied glance for the wrecked truck before looking back along the road.

The first truck had hit the landmine and now lay on its side and was already burning. The third truck had swerved off the sandy road and was attempting to escape, but the two smaller vehicles were closing on it fast. The loud automatic gunfire of the brigands was answered only by the pathetic reports of a handgun. The cars drew even with the truck and its windows exploded inwards and it slowed to a stop within seconds.

The woman on the ground looked back at the truck smashed on the rocks, the burning carcass in the road, and the bullet-riddled vehicle out on the plain and felt her hope of survival vanish. The brigands in the car nearest the third truck jumped out of their vehicle and whipped open the driver's door, from which a body tumbled to the ground. The vehicle on the far side of the truck sped around while kicking up fans of dirt and raced towards the wrecked truck. The woman got to her feet and despite the burning pain in her ankle, retreated, but the dune buggy crossed the distance before she could take more than a few steps. The engine was shut off and three men got out. They looked at her and she could hear them laugh. She looked about for anything to defend herself with, but there was nothing. They approached and she could see their greedy leers. Her foot stepped on a rock and the shearing agony dropped her to the sand. More chuckling.

Something whipped past her to the right and flew through the air as the sound of steel sang out. It was the color of the desert sand and landed noiselessly before the brigands. Before the cloak could even settle or the brigands do more than halt in surprise, a long blade appeared and glinted in the sunlight as it arced across the throat of one. With a gurgling rasp he clutched at his throat as his life spilled red between his fingers and he fell over backwards. The cloaked figure had not stopped and with the momentum of its leap, spun behind the other brigand and planted the blade in his side as it passed. The man yelled and crumpled to the ground with the length of steel sticking out from his back. The remaining uninjured brigand was just now reacting and brought his weapon to bear on their attacker and fired. The bullets pierced its cloak as it leapt away backwards, but did not find its body. The attacker slid to a stop in the sand a dozen yards beyond the last brigand and paused.

In that moment, a wind passed and blew back the cloak. The woman could only make out the metallic sheen of a cyborg body at this distance. The cyborg rose from its crouch, a small knife appearing in its hand. The brigand took aim as the cyborg launched itself at him. Spurts of sand kicked up from its feet as it ran towards him and darted with amazing agility to avoid the stream of fire. It collided with the brigand and the two remained upright for seconds, neither of them moving. Then the brigand toppled away once the cyborg released the knife planted in his stomach. 

It left the dying man who was struggling to lift his gun and strode over to the body that contained the sword. It pulled the sword free and returned to the last brigand. It stood over him, lifted the weapon, and swiftly stabbed him in the chest. The gun fell and the man went limp. 

The woman looked back at the other car, but it had already fled, leaving behind only a fading plume of dust to mark its flight. 

The cyborg cleaned the sword on the dead man's shirt and lifted the sword skywards to align it with the sun and look down its length for any damage or missed blood. 

The woman stood and took one step towards her invincible rescuer but the pain in her ankle ripped a gasp from her, causing her to fall to the ground. The cyborg turned towards the sound and the sight of its face froze the breath in her lungs. 

The face was a hideously crude version of a human's. Nothing was behind the pitted gray faceplate and the pale sky was visible through the rift that was its mouth. The wind pulled the cloak back to reveal a skeletal frame and a bright blue broken circle emblazoned on its chest. The eyes however were the most disconcerting feature. They were dull and non-focusing, as if it was incapable of seeing the carnage it sowed. Despite its offensive shape, pity welled up in her as she looked at it. It regarded her with indifference and looked away as it stooped to retrieve its knife and then turned to leave. 

"Wait!" she pleaded, her arm outstretched. The cyborg stopped and looked back at her silently. Her heart quailed under its dispassionate gaze and she forgot her words. "You—you can't just leave me out here." 

The cyborg did not move or speak for a few moments and the woman's fear of this machine grew with every second. It looked down at the body at its feet and examined it with the tip of its sword. The sword swung up, launching a tinkling, shining object through the air that landed at her feet. 

"Go," was all that it said before walking away. 

The woman looked up from the keys in the sand and watched the cloaked figure disappear into the desert landscape.


End file.
